More movies

Gran torino: Clint Eastwood delivers again. The man has flare no matter what he plays (except space cowboy, that movie never happened). Anyway, its a fairly standard story about an old racist white man who becomes less racist through doing the right thing for his Asian neighbors. I particularly enjoyed the last 10 minutes of the movie, where friendship and righteousness triumph over blood (both in form of family and violence) and hypocrisy. Many times, you have to dig through the surface to truly understand why people behave the way they do. And Clint Eastwood and his Asian buddies have both done so in their uncommon ways. Recommended.

Seven pounds: I spent the first hour of this movie slightly confused... Bits and pieces of the puzzle are shown but in very little detail. After the movie, of course, I hit myself for not taking all the clues. Maybe its cus I was very sleepy. Or maybe its just not very realistic. This is one of the movies where I wonder about the "revealing the past and how it contributes to the present" tactic that has flooded Hollywood movies... Do the directors do it because the story is too simple? Or because it adds suspense? Me thinks the former. You do not redeem yourself from killing seven people by saving seven others. You do so by helping the loved ones who were left behind... And then killing yourself and save another seven. Nonetheless, Will Smith has perfected the "my life sucks" face (Patented in Hancock), and uses it masterfully throughout the movie. Recommended if you can overlook the ridiculous premise.

Revolutionary Road: well, the synopsis from Cathay says it best, "Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star in this portrait of a marriage. Not suitable for children." Kathy Bates (The immortal Molly in Titanic!) makes a few cameos with Leo and Kate; good times all around for Jack and Rose... Oh wait. Revolutionary Road is quite different. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of this movie. Its quite depressing that the couple has to pretend to care about each other. Each clearly has a plan for himself/herself and neither is giving in nor outright objecting. Overall, it flowed too slow for me even though I enjoyed the subtlety. Not really recommended (although with time, I may change my mind).